by Tina Donahue
Noah took her right. “You drive here?” She couldn’t have walked in those heels.
“Lauren brought me from the parlor.”
He’d have to thank her the next time they bumped into each other, and keep from wondering why Jasmina hadn’t wanted him to pick her up, or for those other guys to do so. “We don’t have to wait in line to get inside. By that I mean, you, Kyle and me.” He inclined his head to the two guys staring at them, no longer smiling as if they’d hit the sexual jackpot. “If your friends want in right away too, tell them to come along.”
She pressed her cheek to his. “They’re not my friends. They arrived shortly after I did.”
Good answer. “Guess they’ll have to wait like everyone else.” He kissed her hard, deep and fast, marking his territory again. Like a damn adolescent. Immature, he knew, but he couldn’t help himself. “Let’s go.”
The security guys, Riley and Jesus, stood in front of the velvet rope, both of them huge, somber…and fellow cops. Taking in Jasmina, Riley offered a knowing smile and lifted the barrier as though he were granting them entrance into heaven. “Enjoy.”
Noah planned to. If he’d been a braver man, he would have explained to Jasmina that neither he nor Kyle wanted to share her with anyone—not this evening, tomorrow, next week…possibly during the following months. Right. With neither of them able to promise anything except the immediate present, they couldn’t have a heart-to-heart with her. She’d say what she already had—this was about fun, no strings or regrets.
Inside, a blast of Latin music, deafening bass, perfume, cologne and strobe lights in blue, white and green greeted them. Wall-to-wall couples and singles either gyrated to the beat of the local band, drank at the bar and small tables or made out in whatever space they could find. Straights, gays, twosomes, threesomes and more did their thing. Here, everything was cool.
Noah smiled at Jasmina bobbing to the music, her purse and the jewels on her navel jumping with her movements. “Dance? Drink? Both?”
“Both, but let’s dance while I wait for my mojito and whatever you guys want.”
He and Kyle ordered beers and her drink from one of the servers roaming the crowd.
Jasmina raised her arms above her head, chin to the ceiling, the lights sweeping her sparkly top, purse and the gems dangling over her tummy. She stepped back into a free spot and swayed her hips to the newest piece, a sultry tune conjuring images of island nights, rolling surf, hot breezes, moist flesh.
A shock of desire, urgent and deep, rammed into Noah. He raised his arms, bumping his hips against hers in time to the beat, his cock and her mound touching briefly, seductively. Kyle caught her from behind, pushing his body into her ass, his face against her hair. She had scant room to move but didn’t seem to mind being sandwiched between them, her skin dewy from the heat, lashes darkened with makeup, mouth glossy with lipstick as red as her top.
They danced through the piece and the next, equally seductive, their desire building. When the band switched to a spicier tune, the server waved them to the edge of the dance floor, their drinks on her tray.
Fanning herself with her hand, Jasmina sipped her mojito through a tiny straw then pressed the sweaty glass against her throat and sighed. “Nice.”
Noah finished a fourth of his drink, hoping the alcohol would calm his sprinting pulse. He kept picturing her stripped of everything—except the bellybutton jewelry and heels—cuffed wrists secured to a tall frame, legs spread, a blindfold keeping her from seeing what he and Kyle planned to do.
He drank more of his beer. The piece ended to riotous applause. Seamlessly, the band played the first strains of their next selection.
“Oh, I love this song.” She swung her hips.
Noah stared at the tiny gems rolling over the gentle swell of her stomach, wanting to lick them and her.
“Hey, baby.”
He started at a hand on his shoulder. A blonde he’d never seen before smiled up at him. Before he had a chance to do or say anything, she leaned close, her boob pressed against his arm. “Let’s dance.”
“Go on.”
At Jasmina’s comment, he turned toward her. She kept dancing as though having him take off with another woman was no big deal.
“You too.” She gestured to Kyle, who had his own fan club circling him, a petite brunette with a hungry expression.
Kyle frowned. So did Noah.
Jasmina didn’t see. A guy came out of nowhere, slipped his arm around her waist and danced her off, drink and all.
Shit. “Thanks but no,” Noah said to the blonde. “I’m with someone.”
Kyle turned to the brunette. “I brought a date.”
The young woman glanced past him to Noah, shrugged and took off.
Noah craned his neck, searching for Jasmina, catching snatches of her glittery top through the crowd. At least he thought he had. A lot of the women here wore sparkly clothes. He cooled his heels, along with Kyle, both of them finishing their beers through the end of this set and the next. Still no Jasmina.
“Hey.”
He flinched and turned. Kyle did too.
Jasmina smoothed back her hair and glanced to each side of them. “What happened to your ladies?”
Their what? A surge of irritation flared so quickly, Noah gritted his teeth to keep from shouting. Even when he dated super casually, the relationships hadn’t been this nonchalant. He’d actually stayed close to and left with the same woman he’d arrived with. “Do you want us to leave?” He gestured to Kyle and himself. “Are we cramping your style? If you need a ride back to your place, I’ll give you money for a cab. Would you like that?”
Her eyes rounded. “No.”
“To what? The money? Cab? Kyle and me staying? Us leaving?”
She touched his hand then Kyle’s. “I don’t want either of you to leave. I just thought you’d like to have fun. Mingle. Meet other women.”
Noah clenched his jaw. “I’m thirty-one. So is Kyle. We don’t need anyone telling us how to date or meet the opposite sex, all right?”
She clutched her drink in both hands. “Okay.”
No, it wasn’t. “Do you want to go off with the guy you were dancing with, or the ones who were next to you in line outside? If so, tell us.”
“No. I don’t even know his name or theirs. I told you that.”
“Then you want to dance with us?”
She shook her head.
He hadn’t expected that answer. “What then…you want to go home?”
“Yeah. With you guys.”
* * * * *
Kyle made out with Jasmina in the cab of the pickup as Noah drove them to her place. At each stoplight or sign, Noah turned her face to his and captured her mouth.
Given the hour, Alice’s Wonderland had closed for the night, allowing them to be as noisy as they wanted.
Kyle set the pace, tearing at Jasmina’s clothes in the hallway leading to her apartment. Noah joined in. She did the same with what they wore, each of them bumping into the walls as they stripped, groped and kissed.
Once inside her place, Kyle lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his hips, slipped her arms around his neck and froze. “Your tat.”
“I’m good. In a day or two my skin should stop peeling.”
Kyle pressed his hand against her back, pulling her closer. Finally she surrendered, her nipples against his chest where they should be.
She looked over at Noah. “What about your back?”
“No problems at all. I handled it.” He closed her door and threw one of the locks. “That’s another thing I don’t need advice on, as far as other women are concerned, all right?”
“Uh-huh.”
Kyle carried her to the bed, falling onto the mattress with her beneath him. The springs squealed. She sighed. He touched the tip of her nose with his.
“Tell me what you want.” He eased back. “Tell us.”
She looked at both of them. “To have fun like we did the other night. To
be friends.”
He should have been happy with the answer and having her in his arms, since they were obviously still on, yet he sensed her putting distance between them, walls going up.
Exactly what he’d done with the women he’d dated, committing to nothing except having a good time. Didn’t feel so great when he was on the receiving end. Noah didn’t look thrilled either.
Fuck, when had this non-relationship become complicated?
Noah stalked to the bed, dropping his shirt as he did, pulling his holstered weapon out of the waistband of his jeans. He put his revolver in her nightstand drawer and brought out the box of condoms they’d opened the other night. “Fun it is.”
Not enough. Kyle needed more, without the hassle of forever. He turned to her. “With some ground rules.”
She stared. “What kind?”
“You, me and Noah…for a month—no one else in the mix. Being friends, having fun, exploring everything.” He looked over at Noah. “Think Zimmerman will let us use the toy for our games?”
“Zimmerman?” She touched Kyle’s cheek. “Toy? What are you talking about?”
He smiled. “Fun.”
“Definitely.” Noah grinned. “I think we can convince Zimmerman to play along.”
She pushed to her elbows. “With what?”
Kyle answered with a kiss—not the kind a friend would give—as the man he was, horny yet yearning too. Shit, his emotions were so tangled when he was around her he didn’t know whether he was coming or going.
Hopefully, he’d have a chance to find out during the next month.
Chapter Seven
No matter how hard or long Jasmina pressed that night, Noah and Kyle wouldn’t tell her what they planned, who Zimmerman was or what the toy might be and involve.
She kept pushing. “At least tell me if this mysterious Z person is male or female, vegetable, mineral, living, dead, human, machine…”
Kyle shook his head. “And ruin the surprise?”
“What surprise?”
“Friends trust each other.” Noah cupped her chin. “Kyle and I know you’d never do anything to hurt us. You’re too good a person. Don’t you think we’d be the same with you? Do you honestly believe either of us would ever try to force you to do something you didn’t want?”
“Absolutely not.” She cradled his face and Kyle’s, trusting they’d never harm her. At least deliberately. When the predictable hurt arrived, she’d have only her feelings to blame, still dreaming of forever, which didn’t exist. They’d give what they could and would move on as they should.
She’d tried to accelerate the inevitable at the club, forcing herself not to be jealous of the women coming on to them, pretending she didn’t care even though she’d died a lot inside. She should have stopped things then and certainly now but couldn’t, wanting them too much. “You’re good men. But—”
“Here it comes.” Noah elbowed Kyle. “The buts are always killers.”
“Worst word in the English language.”
She wasn’t certain whether to laugh or sigh. “At least tell me what I should wear for this toy—like should I bother getting dressed at all.”
Noah fingered her belly ring, a cascade of heart-shaped red crystals. “Definitely wear this.”
“And the heels.” Kyle slid his hand down her calf.
They’d insisted she keep the shoes and jewelry on when they’d gone at her, Kyle sinking his cock into her pussy, Noah’s rod filling her mouth at the same time. When they were able to rev their engines again after those climaxes, they’d switched positions, not stopping until she’d had multiple orgasms.
None of them had slept yet. She couldn’t, not wanting to miss a second of these precious moments snuggled between them. Kyle lay on his back, Noah on his belly, head propped in his hand. Their tats had nearly healed, both designs totally badass. Hers to enjoy for at least a month.
She stroked Noah’s ass, Kyle’s groin. “Are we talking thirty or thirty-one here?” Surely they wouldn’t want to reduce the time to twenty-eight days. No way was that long enough. “February’s an anomaly. Not even in the mix, right?”
Noah finished his yawn. “Not even in what mix?”
“The month Kyle mentioned in his ground rules. How many days is our month going to be?”
“Let me guess.” Kyle tapped the tip of her nose. “You want to decide, don’t you?”
If she did, she’d pick fifty days, a hundred, possibly several thousand. “Can I?”
“Nope.” Noah ran his hand down his face. “How many months have thirty days and how many have thirty-one? We can choose that way.”
She frowned. “Why not go for thirty-one? The extra day will kill you guys?”
Kyle rolled into her, fondling her left boob.
Noah captured her right. “Wouldn’t want to wear you out.”
She pushed into their touch, loving their calloused palms and dry, heated skin. “Don’t worry about me. Neither of you are ever going to see my age again.”
“Ouch.” Kyle leaned up to look at Noah. “She definitely needs an attitude adjustment.”
“Discipline.” Smiling, he played with her nipple. “Just you wait.”
“I have been. When do you pull out the cuffs, blindfold and gag?”
“Going with the flow is a beautiful thing.” Noah licked her nipple. “Especially when you can trust whatever will happen. You should try it sometime.”
She had with Brad and got pulverized for her naïveté. Now she was taking her wariness out on him and Kyle. What was the matter with her? They’d been great and didn’t deserve her punishing them because of the negative fallout from a failed relationship. “I will. I’ll even be good unless being bad has more rewards.”
Kyle smiled. “Doesn’t it always?”
She liked how he thought.
“Be yourself.” Noah kissed her nipple. “Friends accept each other for who they are. No games or fake shit. Speaking of which.”
“They’re real.” She arched her back, pushing her chest into him. “I come from big-boobed women.”
He laughed. “Good to know but that wasn’t what I was talking about. You weren’t yourself tonight at the club. At least I don’t think you were.”
Her face heated. She shrugged away her embarrassment. “I was trying to be accommodating, guess what you guys wanted.”
“No need. I’m a big boy; I’ll tell you.”
Kyle nodded. “Me too.”
Noah stroked her jewelry again before sliding his hand to her bush, gently tugging the dark-auburn curls. “A couple of times you’ve said you wanted to be friends. Did you mean it?”
The intensity of his gaze surprised her. Kyle was equally serious. She couldn’t imagine anything scarier than opening herself emotionally to them. Even with the years she’d given Brad, they’d spent more time fucking than talking, their relationship evolving into an adult-child dynamic, with him definitely taking the kid’s role. They’d never been friends. She’d been playing at love.
Getting to know Noah and Kyle on a deeper level wasn’t what she’d planned and couldn’t seem to stop. They kept chipping away at the walls she’d put around her heart, making her want them for a lifetime. Yeah right. She had a month. Thirty-one days to dream about what the future could be like. Wouldn’t be enough but she couldn’t seem to stop the coming train wreck her life was heading for.
She finally nodded in answer to his question. “Yeah, I meant what I said.”
He looked past her to Kyle. “How many days have you accrued since your last vacation?”
“Six or seven, I’ll have to check.”
“I have eight.” He ran his fingers over her belly. “Do you have any time coming from the parlor?”
Tons. With no steady boyfriend, she’d hadn’t done anything except work, her unused days accumulating quickly. “Two weeks and counting.”
He frowned. “You need to relax. No more work for you on the days we spend together.”
“O
kay. Starting when? Wait—do our thirty-one days begin today or tomorrow?”
He turned to Kyle. “Did we decide on that figure or thirty?”
She put up her hand to stop their teasing. “I’m willing to risk sleep deprivation, brittle bones and early menopause for the extra day.”
“Thirty-one it is. Beginning tomorrow.” Noah tapped her belly. “The vacation days need to wait until we can work out our schedules.”
“Riley will switch days with me,” Kyle said. “I’ve helped him out when he needed time off.”
“Jesus and I have done the same. I’m sure he’ll be good with a few swaps.”
“Let’s work things so we have three days off at least once.”
“We can use Zimmerman’s toy during that stretch.”
Kyle nodded enthusiastically. “We’ll make it our last stop. Agreed?”
“You bet.”
Leaning over her, they gave each other a high five.
Jasmina opened her mouth to ask again about Z but didn’t. Not even when they glanced at her.
“You doing okay?” Noah asked.
Her excitement and curiosity were building, crowding out disquiet. If the guys had a great time, they might agree to roll a month into two or more. Could be that’s all she’d need in order to accept their goodbyes and move on. Miracles were always possible, right?
Holding on to the dream, she still got tough. “Since this is my fun time too, I pay half for any activity, food, gas. Not like tonight or dinner at Castillo’s with you guys footing the bill.”
“Actually you’d pay a third,” Kyle said. “Since there are three of us.”
“Right. A third then.”
Both of them shook their heads.
“Aw come on. This is what a friend would do.”
“Guy friends.” Noah lifted his shoulder. “Not you.”
“Being a woman makes me different?”
“You haven’t noticed that yet?” Kyle fondled her boob.
She pushed his hand away. “You guys shouldn’t be throwing money around. You have student loans.”
Noah eased her hair behind her ear. “And you don’t?”
“Mine aren’t as big as yours.”
Kyle cupped his cock. “I would hope not.”
